Threads is starting to look a lot like Twitter.
Social media giant Meta’s fledgling “Twitter killer” Threads unveiled a new trending topics page for all users in the U.S. Tuesday, bringing it even closer to its main competitor. The trending topics page is accessible for Threads users on the search page, showing five of the most talked-about subjects on the app.
“We’re rolling out the ’trending now’ feature widely to people in the U.S. today — excited to offer an easy way to see what others are talking about on Threads. It’s available on the search page and in the For You Feed, so try it out and let us know what you think,” Threads head Adam Mosseri posted on the site.
While introducing trending topics to Threads adds a much-requested feature, it is still limited compared to the service on X, as Twitter is now known. Threads’ trending page only lists five topics, while on X users can browse through various trending pages focusing on news, entertainment or sports.
Threads soft-launched the feature earlier this year, with only a limited number of users accessing the trending topics. The new feature joins a slew of additions that Meta has made to Threads since it launched last year, including a “For You” feed and a web browser version.
The introduction of trending topics could also prove challenging for Threads as Meta tries to de-emphasize political content on the site. Since the soft launch of the feature, several political topics have appeared on the page, including several moments from President Joe Biden’s recent State of the Union address.
To cut down on controversy, Meta has actively tried to limit the amount of conversation about current events on its platforms. On top of introducing AI regulations ahead of the 2024 presidential election, Threads announced it would not actively push political content on users. While users can still seek out political commentary and news, Meta wants Threads to be a much less confrontational place than X.
• Vaughn Cockayne can be reached at vcockayne@washingtontimes.com.
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